Should be a good series, especially after the proteas ahve been dreadful against aussie so far.

Will be a good challenge, i can see papps opening with how, and oram coming in as well. just go add to the bowling, maybe replacing either martin or franklin. I think marshall is just over there for cover for the batsman, and patel might get a chance if new zealand get a good lead or are losing to bad in the series

Yeah I was just talking about the series against the Windies who are ranked 8th in the world with only Zimbabwae and Bangladesh behind them. I hate Hamish with a passion, its good to see his high average take a bashing. It was 48 at the start of series and it should be down to bout 38-40 now.

On a more serious note, unless Flemming opens we are going to again have no experience in the in the top 3. Thus I think Flemming has to open for us.

JOHANNESBURG: A resurgent bowling display and a sublime knock from Stephen Fleming failed to mask one worrying deficiency in the Black Caps make-up - the raw opening combination still appears unconvincing a week out from the first cricket test against South Africa.

Fleming stroked a masterly unbeaten 96 at a run-a-ball pace to spearhead New Zealand's reply of 159 for two to the Rest of South Africa's first innings of 395.

But the skipper's march to a century was postponed when bad light and a thunderstorm stopped play at Willowmoore Park 28 overs before the scheduled close.

While Fleming was in imperious form hitting 15 boundaries and four sixes, he will be concerned at reaching the middle with the score at 26 for two after both openers failed to make an impression.

Michael Papps, in his international comeback from a 13-month hiatus, steered a defensive prod to third slip to end his 19-ball stay at six and the score at 21.

Jamie How followed soon after, trapped adjacent by Garnett Kruger for 11.

New Zealand's opening partnership of How and Hamish Marshall failed to exceed 50 in three tests against the West Indies and problems are still evident against a far from top-line South African bowling attack ahead of next Saturday's first test at Centurion.

AdvertisementAdvertisementFortunately Fleming and Peter Fulton knuckled down to put the innings back on an even keel with an unbroken 133-run third wicket partnership.

Fleming was by far the dominant partner reaching his half century while Fulton was on 35 and then dominating to such an extent the young Cantabrian was a virtual spectator as Fleming peppered the boundary ropes.

Such was the skipper's dominance Fulton scored just a solitary single after tea as Fleming plundered 46 to zero in on his century.

Fleming reached 50 with an exquisite cover drive - his eighth boundary. He also pummelled a brace of sixes off Kruger and another towering on drive off Robin Peterson.

While Fleming was toying with the South African attack he carved four consecutive boundaries off one Rory Kleinveldt over heading into the 70s.

When play was finally called off as a thunderstorm struck 40 minutes after New Zealand were offered the light, the Black Caps were within sight of the follow-on target of 246.

At the start of play New Zealand risked a mammoth first innings deficit but the hosts' intentions of posting a 500-plus total were swiftly undone when JP Duminy was caught at slip by Fleming off Chris Martin after adding two to his overnight score of 125.

Duminy's departure proved the catalyst for a spectacular collapse â€“ the last seven wickets fell for just 40 runs â€“ as the Black Caps bowlers erased memories of yesterday's flailing before stumps.

Neil McKenzie was only able to add 16 in two hours today before being ninth out for 141.

Left armer James Franklin was the chief destroyer, taking three for nine from seven overs to leave with him with a respectable haul of four for 80.

Jacob Oram claimed a scalp in his international comeback from a heel injury and tied up an end with 10 maidens studded among his 21 overs for 46.

New Zealand's damage limitation was also notable for the fact speedster Shane Bond was confined to the team hotel to rest an inflamed knee.

Black Caps management said Bond was rested as a precaution and at this stage he was not in doubt for the test.

He had cortisone jabs to control the inflammation on his right knee earlier this season and medical staff were confident the condition could be managed.

Meanwhile, Franklin said the South African's quick demise indicated the attack was capable of performing without their trump card.

"The bowlers are there for a reason, they can take wickets. It's better to have Shane here but I think as we showed in the second test against the West Indies (won by 10 wickets in Wellington) we can do a job without him."

Franklin admitted the New Zealanders were expecting to spend longer in the field when play resumed after McKenzie and Duminy plundered 167 during yesterday's final session.

"It went better than we anticipated really," he said.

"We were hoping to have them six down at lunch, picking up seven in a session was a long way off from what it was yesterday."

Didnt realise the tour had started. Looks like its pretty even after a fantastic 2nd day. Can't believe our bowlers reaked that much havoc. Ball must have been swinging a bit looking at Franklins figures.

Bond didnt bowl on the second day either with an inflamed knee which is bad for us, hope he is ok for the first test. he will be rested for the rest of this game by the looks of it.

MY GOD martin scored 9* yes thats a bit NINE and mccullum got 100 he was on like 20 when martin came in almost 100 partnership for the 9th wicket (95 with martin scoring 9 of them lol) last day today looks like a draw as most of these tour matches end up being now days

Interesting that South Africa decided to select a second string side. This is a good chance for others that don't get a go to play against decent opposition. Hopefully we can find out who we can use as backups for the top team.

Great to see Neil McKenzie scored a century. I've always thought of him as a close call to getting into the top side.

Originally posted by woosaah@Apr 10 2006, 10:32 AM MY GOD martin scored 9* yes thats a bit NINE and mccullum got 100 he was on like 20 when martin came in almost 100 partnership for the 9th wicket (95 with martin scoring 9 of them lol) last day today looks like a draw as most of these tour matches end up being now days

Click to expand...

lol, the thing I find most unbelievable is that he was not out, as no doubt all those runs came from edges gong through the slip corden.

All eyes on Bond as Black Caps hit the nets
12 April 2006Â
By CHRIS BARCLAY

CENTURION: The Black Caps are anxious Shane Bond makes more than tentative steps back from the latest setback to his stop-start international cricket career tomorrow.

Bond will test a strained right knee tendon during New Zealand's opening net session ahead of Saturday's first cricket test against South Africa at SuperSport Park.

The Canterbury paceman has been engaged in rehabilitation since the joint swelled late in the opening day of the Black Caps' warm-up match against the Rest of South Africa in Johannesburg last Friday.

Since then he has had a cortisone jab and daily icing to ease the discomfort.

Bond has pronounced himself fit to face the Proteas, but still faces an acid test when he runs in during the first of three scheduled pre-test workouts (approx 9pm NZ time Wednesday).

Black Caps acting manager Gary Hermansson, who is deputising for Lindsay Crocker as he recovers from a debilitating knee infection, warned not to expect too much from the right armer until later in the week.

"We're not going to let him give it heaps," Hermansson told NZPA.

AdvertisementAdvertisement"Shane will be carefully managed by the physio (Dale Shackel) to ease himself back in. It will be standard stuff, he'll do a few overs so we can get a gauge on his progress."

Ideally, Bond's intensity will lift a notch on Thursday before he tapers off with a final session on Friday.

Hermansson, the team psychologist, said the cortisone jab administered on Friday appeared to have worked and management were also confident Bond will be available to spearhead a pace attack comprising fellow quicks Chris Martin and James Franklin.

Franklin and Martin bowled effectively in patches against the Rest of South Africa, with Franklin grabbing six wickets for the match.

Although the Black Caps attack noticeably lapsed late on day one as the effects of altitude took its toll, Rest of South Africa captain Neil McKenzie described the unit as threatening.

"They missed Shane (who only bowled 10 overs in the match) but they've still got a disciplined attack.

"I think they might have got carried away with the bounce and tried to bowl too short but I think they got it spot on the second day.

"Chris Martin hit some good areas, they're always at you, they don't give you too many bad balls."

New Zealand took seven for 40 before lunch on day two to ruin the South African's hopes of posting a 500-plus score. The match petered out to a rain-affected draw yesterday.

Meanwhile, Proteas captain Graeme Smith remains in doubt for the series opener after reinjuring the ring finger on his left hand during fielding practice before the final test against Australia last week.

A South African team spokesman said Smith saw a hand specialist yesterday and a splint protecting the chipped bone would be removed tomorrow.

He had to emerge unscathed from the Proteas' first training session on Thursday to be assured of renewing his rivalry with counterpart Stephen Fleming.

Shane Bond is still expected to be fit for the first Test at Centurion despite concerns over a knee injury which forced him to sit out most of the tour opener at Benoni.

A spokesman for the New Zealanders said medical staff were confident Bond would be ready. "It's not a structural thing like a medial ligament. There's a connecting tendon that sometimes gets a bit inflamed, so as a precaution we took him out of here to have a look at it. It's a reoccurrence of something we knew about and it will be carefully managed."

Lindsay Crocker, the team's manager, told reporters that Bond had been undergoing treatment and was walking freely.

Crocker added that the entire squad was still jet-lagged and that they had all been given Wednesday off to recover.

Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, hasn't yet fully recovered from the finger injury which kept him out of the final Test against Australia last week and might miss the first Test against New Zealand next week.

Haroon Lorgat, the national convenor of selectors, announced a 16-man squad on Saturday for the three-Test series which gets underway on April 15 at Centurion.

"We have retained the same squad of players following the tough Castle Test Series against the world's number one team," Lorgat said.

"We believe that the experience will stand them in good stead, and they deserve another opportunity against New Zealand. We will, however, monitor performances carefully as we seek to build a successful Test team".

Smith is due to see a specialist in Johannesburg on Tuesday; his chances of playing are rated "50-50".

Graeme Smith is rated as 50-50 to make the opening Test against New Zealand, at Centurion Park, as he recovers from his finger injury. A final decision will be taken after he bats in the nets on Thursday.

Smith missed the final Test against Australia after injuring the ring finger of his left hand during fielding practice. Shane Jabaar, South Africa's physiotherapist, said: "Graeme consulted a hand specialist yesterday [Monday], and we are trying to improve functionality to his finger that has been in a splint since the injury."

South Africa's vice-captain, Jacques Kallis, is scheduled to take over the captaincy should Smith not play, as was the case in the third Test against Australia at the Wanderers.

The New Zealanders, who drew their warm-up match against the Rest of South Africa XI at Benoni, will have their first net at Centurion Park on Wednesday morning.
[/b]

1931-32 in New Zealand
The first Test series not to involve either England or Australia began at Christchurch on February 27, 1932 between these two southern hemisphere sides, with an easy series-win for South Africa. Of New Zealand's batsmen, only Gordon 'Dad' Weir defied the South Africans in the first Test, scoring 120 runs without being dismissed, while the tourist's batsmen completely dominated the home side's bowling in scoring 451. South Africa again coasted to an easy win in the second Test, despite an improved batting performance from the home team. Giff Vivian's hundred, his sole century in seven Tests, helped New Zealand to 364 in their first innings but South Africa, and Xen Balaskas with an unbeaten 122, were simply too dominant.
New Zealand 0Â South Africa 2

1952-53 in New Zealand
South Africa's superiority was never in doubt in this series. Jackie McGlew, opening the innings, struck an unbeaten 255 - his highest Test score - which drove the tourists to a colossal 524 for 8 declared. John Watkins' medium-pace swing and Hugh Tayfield's offspin proved dangerous and the home side capitulated for 172 in both innings. The second Test was drawn, not helped by the pitch which was slow, low and "discouraging to stroke production" as Wisden recalls, allowing South Africa a series victory.
New Zealand 0Â South Africa 1

1953-54 in South Africa
New Zealand toured South Africa for a five-match series. South Africa got off to a strong start at Durban, crushing New Zealand by an innings and 58 runs to record their first win at home for 23 years. Although the tourists won the series convincingly 4-0, it was remembered for a magnificent innings of 80 not out by Bert Sutcliffe in Johannesburg, in a match which spanned Christmas. The New Zealanders, devastated by news of a train crash back home which killed 151 people, went into bat. The pitch was fiery, Neil Adcock sending Lawrie Miller and Sutcliffe to hospital. Sutcliffe, who was struck on his helmet-less head, returned when his side were 81 for 6. Pale, with his head in a bandage, he batted with controlled, graceful violence, smashing seven sixes to help his side avoid the follow-on. Capitulation came, almost inevitably, in the second innings when they were bundled out for just 100 to lose by 132 runs.
South Africa 4Â New Zealand 0

1961-62 in South Africa
New Zealand won their first Tests overseas, drawing the series 2-2, led by John Reid who scored 546 runs. With South Africa winning the first Test, and drawing the second, New Zealand fought back strongly to win the third at Cape Town, where Frank Cameron and Jack Alabaster, supported by some brilliant fielding, ran through the South Africans who fell short of their target of 408 runs. Eddie Barlow, who died in December 2005, made his debut in this series and was described by Wisden as "an opening bat who revealed an all-too-rare and refreshing desire to attack...[The] bespectacled lad has undoubtedly come to stay."
South Africa 2Â New Zealand 2

1963-64 in New Zealand
Attempts by anti-apartheid demonstrators to damage the pitch failed to prevent the first Test from starting on time. The pitch was too low and slow for New Zealand to confidently set about their run-chase of 268 and the match ended in a draw. Bowlers dominated the second Test, with Frank Cameron and Bob Blair bowling accurately to defy the South Africans from reaching their target of 65 in 23 minutes. Eddie Barlow continued the same fine form he displayed during South Africa's tour of Australia with a pair of fifties in the third Test which ought to have set the tourists up nicely for victory. New Zealand struggled in pursuit of 309, falling to 185 for 8 before Artie Dick found a useful partner in Bob Cunis, who together staved off defeat.
New Zealand 0Â South Africa 0

1994-95 in South Africa
This was New Zealand's third tour of South Africa, and first for 33 years. Although they started excellently, winning the first Test, the tour ended on a sour note with three of the squad - Matthew Hart, Dion Nash, Stephen Fleming - suspended for smoking cannabis. They also failed to win one of their six one-day internationals in the quadrangular Mandela Trophy. The first Test, at Johannesburg, was a convincing win for New Zealand who rattled up 411, which turned out to be a decisive total on a wearing pitch. Hart, the left-arm spinner, used the rough cleverly to take 5 for 77 in South Africa's second innings, as the hosts lost 7 for 39 before lunch on the final day to lose by 137 runs. The second Test highlighted the batting faults of New Zealand who, in a low-scoring game, were twice dismissed for under 200. Fanie de Villiers, with match figures of 55.2-17-120-8, was South Africa's hero but, as Wisden recalls, it was South Africa's "collective spirit and aggression [that] had been too much for New Zealand, whose decline now looked terminal". South Africa's increasingly aggressive approach proved too much for New Zealand in the third Test, too, and they won the series 2-1.
South Africa 2Â New Zealand 1

1994-95 Centenary Test
South Africa spoilt New Zealand's planned celebrations for their centenary of cricket, by sneaking a victory at Auckland. Hansie Cronje's enticing declaration just before lunch on the fifth day, having made 101 himself, left New Zealand needing 275 to win in 63 overs. When Ken Rutherford fell for 56, South Africa sniffed a chance with Allan Donald and Fanie de Villiers bundling out the hosts for 181 to win by 93 runs.

1998-99 in New Zealand
Although encouraged by their win over India earlier in the year, New Zealand supporters were rightfully wary of a strong and energetic South African team. The home side weren't to be overawed, though. Despite the absence of their three key players to injury - Chris Cairns, Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan - a 1-0 loss wasn't what South Africa deserved. New Zealand's resistance was admirable but two placid pitches - plus the weather at Christchurch - caused South Africa more trouble than the opposition. Darryl Cullinan's 152 in the final Test - to add to his 275 in the first Test - allowed South Africa to cruise past New Zealand's pithy total of 222. The home side fared slightly better in the second innings thanks to 62 from Nathan Astle, but even he couldn't resist the forever-probing lines of Shaun Pollock and, the Man of the Match, Steve Elworthy.
Tests: New Zealand 0Â South Africa 1
ODIs: New Zealand 2Â South Africa 3

2000-01 in South Africa
South Africa swept to a 2-0 series victory against a weak New Zealand, and a threadbare bowling attack. Shayne O'Connor, Daryl Tuffey and debutant Chris Martin totalled just 15 Tests between them, and of those only O'Connor had any wickets to his name. Contrast this with two of South Africa's golden boys, Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock who went into the first Test with 483 between them. South Africa powered their way to 471 for 9 declared. Inevitably, Pollock and Donald starred with the ball, restricting New Zealand to 229 and causing them to follow on; the home side knocked off the required 101 runs, although not without alarm, losing five wickets in the process. The visitors threatened a stronger performance in the second Test, thanks largely to an innings of 150 from Matt Sinclair - but they crumbled in their second innings losing their last three wickets in under four overs.
Tests: South Africa 2Â New Zealand 0
ODIs: South Africa 5Â New Zealand 0

2003-04 in New Zealand
A jaded South Africa failed to live up to their billing as the second-best one-day and Test side during the 2003-04 tour; New Zealand, however, proved to be a competent and tough team to beat. It also saw the coming of age of two players: Jacob Oram for New Zealand, and Jaques Rudolph for South Africa. Heavy rain caused the first Test pitch to play low and slow. Having bowled excellently in South Africa's first innings, Oram then proceeded to caress his first Test hundred, an unbeaten 119, but the match petered out into a draw. The second Test at Auckland was won by New Zealand - their first victory in 13 home Tests against South Africa. Having watched Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs put on 177 for the first wicket, New Zealand fought back through Chris Martin (6 for 76), and their batsmen: Scott Styris (170) and Chris Cairns (158) gave the home side a huge, matchwinning first-innings lead of 299. Martin, though expensive in the second innings, took another five-wicket haul to give New Zealand victory by nine wickets. In a relatively low-scoring final match at Wellington, South Africa bounced back superbly to level the series. Martin again bowled well, picking up another five wickets, but Nicky Boje's eight wickets in the match, and a classy, unbeaten 125 from Smith, enabled South Africa to remain undefeated against New Zealand in a Test series.
Tests: New Zealand 1Â South Africa 1
ODIs: New Zealand 5Â South Africa 1